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‘Salvatore… I’m just tired and thirsty.’
‘Is that why you’ve been avoiding me, little bird?’ He changed his position, making his elbows rest on the chair back, which facilitated him the position of leaning over me.
‘I haven’t.’ I grimaced as the lie left my mouth and watched him raise both eyebrows. ‘Okay, I have,’ I acknowledged and saw as his face changed momentarily at my truthfulness.
‘I thought you’d be needing the alcohol.’
‘Why?’
‘I think they call it “Dutch courage”.’
‘I do have something to tell you, and I won’t need alcohol to talk to you… Even though I know you’re going to be unhappy with me.’
‘Unhappy? Unhappy?’ He shook his head gently from side to side. ‘Oh, little bird… you don’t know the fucking half of it.’
‘I can’t talk to you with an audience.’
Without even looking behind him, Salvatore snapped out Bruno and Aldo’s names.
‘Boss.’ Aldo appeared like magic behind him.
‘Please tell our guests that it’s time to leave.’
‘Yes, Boss.’
All at once I remembered what I’d promised my papa. ‘But not Romeo please.’
‘Serafina.’ My name left his mouth on a warning.
‘I promised my papa something,’ I all but whispered.
‘Like you promised to love, honour and obey me?’ His dark eyes bored intensely into mine, until like a bird in a cage, I knew I was trapped.
‘I do… I am. Anything I’ve done or kept from you, was never meant to work against you. It was to help you!’ Ridiculously, my eyes began to fill with tears as my emotions began to get the better of me. I swiped my hand over my eyes, knowing I was bound to be smearing the mascara I’d put on so meticulously earlier.
‘That remains to be seen.’
Behind Salvatore people began to stand. Several called over their thanks for an enjoyable day. It appeared that they already recognised when not to approach their brooding Don in waiting.
‘What’s this you’ve promised?’ he questioned, and I sighed with relief when I comprehended that he was listening to me.
‘When my family left for home earlier, I told my papa that I’d ask Romeo to go and look for Gabriel and Mia.’
‘How could you?’
‘How could I?’ My earlier emotion was stopped in its tracks by his cryptic question. ‘I only said it to appease my papa and with the need to get Mia home safely and at a decent hour.’
Salvatore shook his head at me and releasing his hold on the chair, he stood up tall.
‘Romeo… Gabriel,’ he shouted.
I moved my head to the side to peer around his large frame and watched his brothers walk towards us.
‘And Mia?’ I looked once again at Salvatore as his brothers came up alongside him and the bottom of my stomach dropped in panic.
‘Gabriel, is Mia here?’
‘No. She left a few hours ago.’ I watched him cross his arms over his chest. ‘I’ve got no idea why.’ Gabriel looked between Salvatore and me.
